By Maryann Jones Thompson
It's time to make plans for the "highest" holiday of the year.
Yes, 4/20 is just four days away. But even in weed-friendly San Francisco, it's never a bad idea to book ahead for your celebratory supplies.
Within the city limits, dispensaries that permit smoking or consumption are not that common. Adding the imminent opening of the Russian Hill Cannabis Club, there are only 10 weed lounges out of 40-plus cannabis dispensaries in SF.
At a lounge, smokers can buy an endless variety of edibles, dabs, beverages, vapes, hookahs or pre-rolls and enjoy them with friends. Until California legalizes cannabis cafes, these lounges are the closest San Franciscans can get to an Amsterdam-style “coffee shop.”
All SF lounges are known for their excellent service and wide selection. To hang out, you must be 21 years old and make a purchase. Before you head over, check whether the space allows smoking and/or consumption. Tobacco, nicotine and alcohol are not allowed.
Check out the list below to find the perfect lounge for your 4/20 festivities.
Cannabis Dispensaries in San Francisco
Castro
According to Architectural Digest, the SF Apothecarium is the “best-designed dispensary in the country." You'll forget you're in a dispensary when you see the interior of the Apothecarium. While there are also stores in the Marina and SoMa, only the Castro location allows edible consumption in the gorgeous lounge area.
SoMa
On Mission Street near Fifth Street, "The Coast With the Most" allows consumption, smoking and vaping made even more fun by Tuesday night trivia, Thursday night comedy and Saturday night guest performers. Whether you're alone or in a group, Barbary Coast's plush red-cushioned seating, smooth velvet wall decor and stained-glass lighting fixtures make for a chill vibe.
Mission
Right on Mission between 21st and 22nd streets, the Mission Cannabis Club’s top-floor smoke and consumption space promise both medical patients and recreational customers a wide selection of quality weed and a place to enjoy it. Check the website or social media for upcoming lounge events.
Civic Center
Moe Greens lounge features comfy green leather booths and bar stools in its huge "old school" storefront right on Market Street near the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Moe’s is actually three lounges in one—including a dab bar and two smoking areas—and a long-standing favorite with locals.
Polk Gulch
A new sibling in the Mission Cannabis Club family of pot shops, the Russian Hill Cannabis Club will offer a consumption lounge this month and expand to smoking later this spring. Get a sneak peek of the new space and its secret garden.
Bayview
SF CDXX features eight brands and a CDXX Smoke Black Label Lounge. You can reserve space for an hour or a whole day at its Third Street location. CDXX is known for its huge Bud Bar where you can get to know your flowers, because “the nose knows, you know?”
Polk Gulch
Sparc has provided safe, clean cannabis in SF for 20 years. Voted best in the North Bay, this chain of dispensaries has run an outpost in the Lower Haight and now opened a consumption lounge on Polk Street, near Washington Street—one block from Bob’s Donuts. Its interior is modern in feel, and though no smoking is allowed, you can enjoy beverages and edibles, including cannabis-infused truffles.
Mission
Union Station SF is an equity-owned medical and recreational cannabis dispensary and consumption lounge featuring pre-rolls, vapes, flowers, topicals, edibles, tinctures, extracts and gear. On Mission near 16th Street, Union Station allows consumption lounge usage with a minimum purchase. The space is fully permitted for smoking and vaping and offers rental of its lounge spaces.
SoMa, Outer Richmond, Mission
Urbana is a recreational cannabis dispensary with the "finest" cannabis products at three unique locations around the city. The Outer Richmond branch on Geary is notably one of the westernmost outposts in the city, on Geary near Park Presidio. The Mission branch is on 29th Street near Bernal Heights, while the SoMa spot is on 10th Street near Mission.Urbana is blessed with many regulars who love the service and welcoming consumption spaces.
SoMa
A local and independently owned "mom-and-pop pot shop," the Vapor Room recreational cannabis dispensary has been in operation since 2004. From its location on Ninth Street near Mission,Vapor Room offers highly curated top-shelf products, and the lounge has officially reopened for use with purchase.
